Course Duration: 35+ minutes
This IIRSM-approved Fire Risk Assessment Training course provides an essential awareness of workplace fire hazards and the measures used to eliminate or control them.
Fire hazards are present in every workplace. This course gives trainees the knowledge to identify workplace fire hazards and understand the control measures that can eliminate or reduce fire risk.
| Course Duration | 35+ minutes |
|---|---|
| Approval body | IIRSM |
| Format | Fully online |
| Assessment | Multiple choice |
| Certification | Same-day digital certificate |
| Certificate Valid For | 3 years |
This course contains the following sections:
Understand what a fire risk assessment involves, from identifying hazards and judging the risk of harm to setting controls, and why workplace fires carry such serious human, financial and legal costs.
Learn how fire safety law varies across England and Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, who holds the relevant duties in each jurisdiction and what competence involves when carrying out an assessment.
See how the five-step assessment process works in practice and how a physical walkthrough, informed by frontline staff, reveals the real hazards people face on site.
Recognise how heat, fuel and oxygen combine to cause fire and learn to spot the everyday ignition sources, fuels, airflow and other hazards that raise workplace fire risk.
Understand why fire does not put everyone at equal risk and learn to identify who needs extra support and the measures, such as PEEPs and clear signage, that protect them.
Learn how to apply the hierarchy of risk control, from eliminating and substituting hazards through to engineering controls, procedures and PPE, to deal with each fire risk effectively.
Know what a fire risk assessment record must contain, how to build a practical emergency plan, and how training and drills prepare people to act if a fire breaks out.
Understand why a fire risk assessment is a living document and recognise when changes to layout, occupancy or work processes mean it must be reviewed and updated.
Disclaimer: This programme provides knowledge and supporting guidance. Completing it does not by itself make you competent, qualified or authorised for workplace tasks. Follow your employer’s procedures, risk assessments and supervision. It does not appoint you to a dutyholder, responsible person or competent person role.
The course certificate includes:
An IIRSM-approved certificate will be available for download and printing instantly upon course completion.
Users must complete an assessment before earning their certificate.
The end-of-course test is:
A score of 80% is required to pass.
Fires remain a serious risk to life and property. In the year ending March 2025, fire and rescue services in England attended 38,468 building fires, and 271 fire-related fatalities were recorded across 247 fatal fires. Workplace fires can disrupt operations, damage property and put employees and visitors at risk.
The picture for non-domestic premises is also concerning. A total of 49,835 fire safety audits were conducted in the year ending March 2024, with only 58% deemed satisfactory — the lowest percentage recorded since 2011.
Fire risk assessments must be reviewed regularly and after any significant change to the premises, work activities or personnel. Workers carrying out or supporting this duty need the right knowledge to identify hazards, evaluate existing controls and recommend improvements that hold up to scrutiny.
In England and Wales, the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (FSO) requires the Responsible Person for premises within its scope to ensure that a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment is carried out. From 1 October 2023, Section 156 of the Building Safety Act 2022 amended the FSO, introducing stronger duties for all Responsible Persons.
If you are the Responsible Person under the FSO, you are accountable for fire safety in your premises. Your duties include:
The Responsible Person remains responsible for ensuring that the assessment is suitable and sufficient. Appointing someone who is not competent may leave significant risks unidentified and expose the organisation to enforcement action and other consequences.
This online Fire Risk Assessment Training course helps staff develop the awareness needed to identify workplace fire hazards, evaluate fire safety measures and support improvements to fire safety arrangements.
This course is suitable for people who carry out or support fire risk assessments and those involved in managing workplace fire safety. Learners develop knowledge of how to recognise fire hazards, identify people at risk, select appropriate control measures, record findings and review assessments when circumstances change.
This course helps organisations:
A fire risk assessment is a structured review of a workplace to identify fire hazards, the people at risk and the controls needed to reduce that risk. It also checks whether existing fire safety measures — detection, warning, escape routes and firefighting equipment — are adequate.
A fire risk assessment is the foundation of workplace fire safety. It identifies hazards such as faulty electrical equipment, flammable materials, hot work, heating appliances and blocked escape routes, and shows where existing controls fall short.
It is also a legal requirement. In England and Wales, the Responsible Person for premises within the scope of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 must ensure that a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment is carried out.
There is no single mandatory qualification required to carry out a fire risk assessment. The Responsible Person must ensure that a suitable and sufficient assessment is completed. Anyone appointed to assist should have the training, skills, experience and knowledge needed for the work and be able to apply them.
For straightforward, lower-risk premises, an appropriately competent member of staff may be able to carry out the assessment. More complex or higher-risk premises may require assistance from a specialist fire risk assessor.
The Responsible Person remains legally accountable for the assessment, even when the work is delegated.
Yes. The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 requires the Responsible Person in all non-domestic premises to ensure that a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment is carried out. Since 1 October 2023, Section 156 of the Building Safety Act 2022 has removed the previous limitations on recording, including the threshold of five or more employees. All assessments must now be recorded in full. Non-compliance can lead to enforcement notices, unlimited fines and, in serious cases, imprisonment.
In England and Wales, the Responsible Person is the individual or organisation that holds legal duties for fire safety under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. This is usually the employer in a workplace or, in other cases, the owner, occupier or another person with control of the premises. Different legislation and duty-holder terminology apply in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
In shared premises, there may be more than one Responsible Person. Each must meet the duties that apply to the parts of the premises or matters within their control and cooperate with the others. These duties include ensuring that fire risk assessments are carried out and recorded, implementing fire safety arrangements, training staff and maintaining fire safety equipment.
Fire risk assessment awareness training, such as this course, develops knowledge of workplace fire hazards, controls and the risk assessment process. It can support employees who assist with assessments or wider fire safety management, but it does not by itself establish competence to work as a professional fire risk assessor.
Professional fire risk assessors need training, skills, knowledge and experience appropriate to the premises and assessments they undertake. Relevant qualifications, registration or third-party certification may help demonstrate competence, but the appropriate route depends on the assessor’s role and scope of work.
This course takes about 35 minutes to complete. Learners can complete the course at their own pace.
This course costs £25.00 + VAT per trainee. There are discounts available for group purchases. Click on ‘Discounts’ beneath the ‘Buy Now’ button for more details.
